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A review by yongxiang
Gone Case by Dave Chua
5.0
The dry, questioning voice of the 12-year-old narrator works really well. It goes from humorous to poignant with ease, although as the book goes on it's the melancholic tone that takes over.
I find that Singaporean fiction can be unsatisfyingly straightforward at times. In comparison, this book is understated and better for it, sensitively teasing out nuances in the characters and their relationships.
For example. One of the main relationships explored in the book is the fracturing friendship between the narrator and his classmate Liang, a brusque boy from a troubled family. At one point, the narrator pulls back from the dialogue and thinks: I feel cold talking to him. There is something about him now, his hopelessness. And without saying more, it's clear that things between them will never be the same.
All this is tied together by good writing, with interesting images and fluid language. Mattresses are "draped out of windows like multicoloured tongues" while, from a rubbish bin burnt in an act of vandalism, "melted plastic hangs from one side like a shirt sleeve frozen in the wind".
It's good! One of the most enjoyable Singlit reading experiences I've had in a while.
I find that Singaporean fiction can be unsatisfyingly straightforward at times. In comparison, this book is understated and better for it, sensitively teasing out nuances in the characters and their relationships.
For example. One of the main relationships explored in the book is the fracturing friendship between the narrator and his classmate Liang, a brusque boy from a troubled family. At one point, the narrator pulls back from the dialogue and thinks: I feel cold talking to him. There is something about him now, his hopelessness. And without saying more, it's clear that things between them will never be the same.
All this is tied together by good writing, with interesting images and fluid language. Mattresses are "draped out of windows like multicoloured tongues" while, from a rubbish bin burnt in an act of vandalism, "melted plastic hangs from one side like a shirt sleeve frozen in the wind".
It's good! One of the most enjoyable Singlit reading experiences I've had in a while.